effectivelywildfandomcom-20200215-history
Episode 205: Catcher Framing Questions/A Hypothetical Pitching Problem/Post-Start MRIs
Date May 17, 2013 Summary Ben and Sam answers listener questions about catcher framing, a very unusual reliever, and cautionary MRIs. Topics * Catcher framing value * Robot umpires * Pitcher use hypothetical * Cautionary MRIs for pitchers Banter Ben & Sam are clearing the email backlog and hosting a second email show in the same week. Email Questions * Andy: "Ben, I recently read your piece for Grantland about pitch framing and it makes a lot of sense. As a pitcher myself, nothing makes me happier than when a catcher steals a strike for me. But with the recent discussion about how bad umps have been, and that there needs to be something done, there have been talks about robot umpires and with that an automatic strike zone. My question for you is, if baseball were to institute an automatic strike zone, would the quest for a good pitch framer become worthless, as there is no pitch than can be stolen?" * Danny: "Jason Parks mentioned on this week's Fringe Average Podcast that he could see teams investing more in their catching prospects, focusing more on their game calling and pitch receiving/framing skills. If you were a GM, would you make this a higher priority than developing plus hitters? Plus hitting catchers? Also what is the average salary of a roving minor league catching coordinator? And how much above average would you, particularly Ben, offer Jose Molina to be your catching coordinator when his playing days are over?" * Eric (Brooklyn, NY): "I have a hypothetical question for you guys: would there be room on a MLB roster for a pitcher who could only throw one inning every five days, but is guaranteed to never give up a run?" * Wes: "Why is it that teams don't more liberally use MRIs on their pitchers? For instance, why are we stuck wondering if Strasburg has an injury? If I were a GM/manager and a pitcher showed diminished velocity and/or mechanical change (for instance Roy Halladay) I'd get an MRI done immediately, not wait for him to finally reveal after weeks of ineffectiveness or an injury that he's been hurting or compensating To take it a step further, what's to stop teams from giving their pitchers MRIs after every outing and comparing them to preseason baselines? With so little science behind innings limits, why not use MRIs as part of the post-start process to determine if a rehabbing pitcher needs to be constrained or shut down?" Notes * Given that some teams carry a third catcher, Ben & Sam think there certainly would be room on the bench for a once every five days pitcher. Ben would pay him the league minimum. Sam would give him $2.25 million. * Ben asked Corey Dawkins (BP injury expert) about Wes' question. He answered that regular MRIs are not sensitive enough to pick up chronic injuries. The kind that may pick this up are invasive (injecting dye) and require several days rest. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 205: Catcher Framing Questions/A Hypothetical Pitching Problem/Post-Start MRIs * The Art of Pitch Framing by Ben Lindbergh Category:Email Episodes Category:Episodes